NTSB Says Geese Caused 2025 Hudson Tourist Helicopter Crash That Killed 6

Q: Was a missing safety switch the hidden cause behind the fatal Hudson River helicopter crash?

No. The evidence released so far points to a bird strike, not a missing safety switch, as the likely cause of the fatal Hudson River helicopter crash. The NTSB said the Bell 206L-4 most likely struck Brant and Canada geese. Investigators found bird remains embedded in a rotor blade and on the horizontal stabilizer, and witnesses reported loud bangs and seeing a flock of geese near the river shortly before the helicopter broke apart. The Smithsonian’s Feather Identification Lab supported that finding. The missing switch did surface in the investigation, but in a much narrower way. According to the records, it was a control-panel switch for bird-deterrent pulsing lights. The company’s former chief pilot said that switch was not required for daytime flights. That means it has not been identified as a mandatory safety device whose absence caused the crash. What the switch does suggest is a possible safety-management issue: whether the operator had every available bird-avoidance measure in place. But that is different from saying it was the hidden cause of the accident. The available evidence does not support that. So, based on the documents released, the central cause under investigation is the geese strike and the resulting structural damage in flight. The missing switch is, at most, a secondary detail, not the main explanation for why the helicopter crashed.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 16

NTSB documents released Thursday say a flock of geese most likely struck a tourist helicopter before it broke apart and crashed into the Hudson River, killing all six people aboard.
Smithsonian feather analysis found Brant and Canada goose remains embedded in a rotor blade and on the horizontal stabilizer, indicating the birds hit with enough force to damage the aircraft in flight.
Witnesses reported several loud bangs and pops before the helicopter fell near Jersey City around 3:15 p.m. on April 10, 2025, and one eyewitness saw roughly 20 geese heading toward the river minutes earlier.
The New York Helicopter flight was carrying a pilot and a family of five from Spain—two adults and three children—and no one survived.